This invention relates generally to a relatively firm eye cover that is adapted for use in the treatment of eye problems caused by disease, injury, etc.; more specifically, it relates to a mostly metal eyeshield that is adapted to shield either one of a wearer's eyes from errant contact with undesirable objects--as well as to foster wearer comfort while an eye is healing.
During the medical treatment of many kinds of eye problems, including injuries and the like, a patient is often required to wear a protective eyeshield over the eye that is healing or being treated. Obviously, the eyeshield is intended to protect the eye while it is healing without causing additional risk or discomfort for the wearer. Unfortunately, quite a few of the eyeshields that are currently being used are not only uncomfortable but they are also somewhat awkward to wear. And many of these devices are not constructed in such a way as to foster the kind of cleanliness that is preferred by medical personnel; and although many eyeshields of the prior art can be sterilized, the task of doing so is often rather time-consuming.
One such eyeshield is made from a thin piece of metal, typically aluminum about 0.027 inch thick; it is generally elliptical in shape, with its length being about three inches and its height being about two and three-eighths inches. Because its very thin edge can be felt by the sensitive area around a person's eye, and the sensation is that of skin being pressed by something that is relatively sharp, a kind of thin cloth "cushion" in the form of a narrow edge guard (somewhat like a garter) is often used to surround the periphery of the shield. Another form of peripheral "cushion" is a strip of foamed plastic tape, typically about an inch wide, that is manually folded over the edge of the metal shield before it is installed over the eye. The combination of a metal shield and some kind of attached cushion is strapped to a person's head in such a way as to securely hold the eyeshield in a fixed position over the injured eye. It will be readily apparent that with this system of eye protection, two distinct and separable pieces are required to create the total eyeshield. In terms of cleaning (or sterilizing) the eyeshield, such a two-piece system is not ideal, because the metal shield and separable cushion cannot be thoroughly cleaned as a unit. That is, a cloth edge guard or "garter" must generally be cleaned in a washing machine or the like, and then dried in a dryer, before it can be used again. Of course, the metal shield could not be conveniently cleaned in the same way; instead, a shield must generally be separately sterilized by steam autoclaving or the like. Furthermore, after the two pieces have been separately cleaned, significant manual handling of the shield in order to install a peripheral cushion can introduce the risk of again contaminating the shield--a shield that is supposed to be kept as clean as possible.
One other problem with a separable, two-piece eyeshield is that the metal shield is susceptible to being rotated inside its smooth cloth sheath; that is, when an elliptical shield is subjected to a glancing blow, there is nothing to prevent the shield from becoming repositioned so as to allow its edge to escape the cloth sheath in such a way as to cause wearer discomfort or injury. Furthermore, if such a metal eyeshield were accidentally pushed forcefully against the wearer's face, it is questionable that a thin cloth sheath could provide enough protection to preclude the sharp metal rim from pressing uncomfortably against or causing injury to the wearer's flesh.
Another eyeshield that is sometimes used in the treatment of eye injuries is referred to as the "Universal Eye Shield." It is made of a rigid polycarbonate material and is available from Trident Medical Products Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas. Although this type of eyeshield (having a thickness of about 0.065 inch) may be used without peripheral cushions or the like, it has not found widespread acceptance--apparently because it cannot be bent or manipulated in order to make it conform to the individual bone structure of the patient who is to wear it. And a rigid, plastic eyeshield is considered by some persons to be uncomfortable if it does not provide a peripheral structure that is adapted to flex so that it can be shaped to bear gently against the soft and supple flesh around the eye.
An additional problem with a polycarbonate (or other rigid plastic) eyeshield is that it will sometimes tend to slide with respect to the skin around a person's eye--when subjected to lateral loads. When compared to materials such as soft rubber, the relatively low coefficient of friction between the hard plastic material and the smooth (and often oily) facial skin that surrounds an eye would not effectively tend to inhibit sideward movement of the eyeshield over the skin. Under sideward impact, such an eyeshield might readily slip over the wearer's skin and fail to remain in place where it is supposed to protect the wearer's eye.
While the above-described eyeshields might be useful in the treatment of some eye problems, it seems that the designers of these prior art eyeshields have neglected the importance of easy sterilization or cleaning, as well as wearer comfort. Accordingly, there has remained a need for a unitary eyeshield which may be conveniently and thoroughly sterilized without disassembly, and which also has a border that is adapted to lie directly--and more comfortably--against the skin surrounding an eye. It is an object of this invention to provide such a protective eyeshield.
Another object is to provide a unitary and integrally formed eyeshield that is made from two different materials: one material being adapted to provide a suitable compromise between rigidity (for protecting the eye) and moldability (for matching the geometry of the face), and the second material being adapted to provide an adequately soft border to make comfortable contact with the wearer's face, while not comprising hygiene.
It is a further object to provide a protective eyeshield that is formed from two pieces that are permanently interlocked in such a way that they cannot be moved relative to each other, either deliberately or accidently.
Still a further object is to provide a two-piece eyeshield that is integrally formed in such a way that the seams between the two pieces are essentially gapless, so as to foster sanitation by minimizing the possibility of accumulating significant quantities of dirt, debris, facial oils, etc., on the eyeshield.
Another object is to provide a protective eyeshield having a border (i.e., a face-to-shield interface) that may be contoured and configured so as to lie in intimate contact with the facial area surrounding an eye, said border being formed from a material having a coefficient of friction that inhibits unwanted sliding movement of the eyeshield over the wearer's skin.
These and other objects will be apparent from a reading of the specification and the claims appended thereto, together with reference to the figures of the drawing provided herewith.